Flowers of Literature Series - Ancient Part: Selected Prose of Han Yu

Author: Xu Baorong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: Han Yu was the advocate and leader of the classical prose movement in the Tang Dynasty and a renowned litterateur with significant influence and outstanding contributions in the history of Chinese literature. As a litterateur, his achievements were multifaceted, particularly in prose writing, where his accomplishments were even more magnificent. During his time, he was praised as "the wave of learning surpassing the nine provinces" and "with a reputation that filled the sky for over thirty years." Su Shi of the Song Dynasty further hailed him as the "teacher of the hundred generations" and the "model for the world," describing him as "reviving the decline of the eight dynasties and saving the drowning world with his writings." His prose covered all literary forms and encompassed a vast range of content, earning the posthumous title of his prose as "the sea bearing the land," a truly fitting praise. He not only had a profound influence during his time, becoming a master of the literary world, but also influenced generations of classical prose writers in later dynasties, making him a milestone in the history of Chinese prose. Han Yu stands at the top of the "Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties," a title he richly deserves. Ancient Chinese prose has a long and rich history, with deep roots and lush branches. Like poetry, it is one of the most important and distinctive literary forms in ancient Chinese literature and a magnificent cultural treasure in the history of human civilization. To promote the fine culture of the Chinese nation, inherit the excellent traditions of ancient prose, and foster the prosperity and improvement of contemporary prose creation, as well as provide reference and enjoyment for readers, this series of "Ancient Chinese Prose" has been compiled as a part of the "Hundred Flowers Prose Series." The scope of the prose genre has evolved over time, differing between ancient and modern periods. The selected works in this series primarily focus on lyric and narrative prose, which are more literary in nature. The selected authors range from the pre-Qin period to the Qing Dynasty, with each author's works compiled in separate volumes. The arrangement of essays in each book follows the principle of chronological order, allowing readers to understand the development and evolution of prose writing. Each book in the series consists of two parts: one is an essay, which includes brief introductions to the author's life and literary activities, with a focus on analyzing and commenting on their prose writing philosophy, particularly artistic characteristics, the development of their prose writing, and its influence. The other is the prose itself, with each piece accompanied by a title explanation and annotations. The essay part aims to complement and enhance the prose part, helping readers achieve a rational understanding of the selected prose through the essays, while the selected prose deepens readers' intuitive understanding of the essays. This mutual reinforcement makes the series not only a collection of selected prose for reading but also, to some extent, serves as a literary critique of the authors and even a history of ancient prose, differing from general prose anthologies and general histories of ancient prose while possessing its own unique characteristics. The selected prose in each book includes representative masterpieces of the authors but also takes into account works from different periods, themes, and styles to reflect the development of the author's prose writing. The title explanations not only interpret relevant words, specialized terms, and provide information on writing time and sources but also offer concise comments on the background, ideological value, artistic characteristics, and artistic techniques of the works. The annotations primarily focus on explaining difficult characters, words, allusions, official titles, artifacts, names, and places. For important and uniquely used terms, references or examples are cited to help readers not only understand "what" but also "why."